Australian Muscle Car

normoyle

I It was mid-August when we were putting the finishing touches on this issue of AMC. Normally about now many of us are starting to think about the upcoming Bathurst 1000. But as we went to press I don’t think any of us was sure that there even is going to be a Bathurst 1000 in 2021. All of a sudden this year is feeling a lot like last year – only worse. It’s bad, but it’s not all bad. While there’s not much good to be said about Covid-19, it has indirectly led to some good things. Like the magnificent Monaro racecar on the cover of this issue – without the pandemic, this car simply wouldn’t exist. As our cover story explains, this has to be the ultimate lockdown project. What began…

holden name set to disappear

It appears that the Holden name will have no place in General Motors’ ongoing involvement in Australia. According to a report by whichcar.com. au, GM has decided to rebrand its remaining Holden service centres with the ACDelco name, GM’s parts and accessories division. The existing Holden Service Centres have been retained as part of GM’s legal obligation to offer parts and service support for Holdens for a decade after its exit from the new car market. There is a logic to the switch from the Holden brand to ACDelco in that it represents a more direct alignment of the service centre branding with the imported GM vehicles (such as the Chev Silverado ute and Corvette) which will be sold under the newly established General Motors Specialty Vehicles operation. The whichcar.com.au report claimed that GM…

vale graham ‘cassius’ mcrae

Motor racing in this part of the world has lost one of the titans of 1970s Formula 5000 racing with the passing in August of Graham McRae. Affectionately known as ‘Cassius’ – a kind of Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) alliteration on account of McRae’s penchant for letting everyone know he was ‘the greatest’ – McRae was famous for his forthright and abrasive demeanour, but he backed up his words with deeds. He was a kind of New Zealand equivalent of Australia’s Frank Matich: a master behind the wheel but also a canny engineer who built – and won races in – his own cars. The careers of McRae and Matich paralleled during the early ‘70s although the two were not friends – at best, a grudging respect existed between them. Remarkably…

go mad with max in broken hill

When you love driving your muscle car, but COVID has meant lockdowns, cancellation of events and a general reduction in activities, what’s the answer? A group of NSW-based enthusiasts comprised of members and friends of the Brock Commodore Owners’ Association of Australia and NSW Torana XU-1 Owners’ Club recently answered that question by embarking on a drive taking in as many highlights as possible over the course of seven days. Departing from Sutton Forest Maccas was a fleet of nine of the General’s finest, the oldest being an EH and the newest a VY Crewman Cross-8. A combination of rain and roadworks saw the cars pull into the first stop – Junee’s Chocolate and Licorice Factory and GasWorks Garage Museum next door, looking somewhat battle-weary. The ensuing days saw the cars traversing…

coupe concepts

Our cover car this issue is Garry Rogers Motorsport’s recently completed ‘Covid project’ Bathurst 24 Hour Monaro 427C replica. The 7.0-litre Monaro race machines were built in 2002/03 to comply with ‘Nations Cup’ sports car racing rules, but in reality featured a lot of the type of technology to be found in the VX and VY model Commodores racing in V8 Supercars at the time. Of course, the V8 Supercar style rear wing and front spoiler, along with those big 18-inch wheels, invited comparisons between the 427C and the Commodore V8 Supercar. And while there was never any prospect of a Monaro V8 Supercar, no doubt many Holden fans found themselves wondering just how good a Monaro would look on the grid at Bathurst in October. As it happened, inside the walls…

auction update

SELLING Who? 2021 Shannons Spring Timed Online Auction What? 1970 Ford XW Falcon GT-HO Phase II Sedan When? August 31 – September 7 Guiding range: $350,000 – $450,000 SELLING Who? 2021 Shannons Spring Timed Online Auction What? 1974 Ford Falcon XB GT Sedan When? August 31 – September 7 Guiding range: $70,000 – $80,000 SELLING Who? 2021 Shannons Spring Timed Online Auction What? 1999 Holden HSV VT Clubsport R8 Sedan When? August 31 – September 7 Guiding range: $60,000 - $70,000 SELLING Who? 2021 Shannons Spring Timed Online Auction What? 1968 Holden HK Monaro GTS 327 Coupe When? August 31 – September 7 Guiding range: $180,000 - $240,000 SELLING Who? 2021 Shannons Spring Timed Online Auction What? 1990 Holden HSV VN Commodore SV - T30 Sedan #26/30 When? August 31 – September 7 Guiding range: $30,000 - $40,000…